Image of the Week: Smoke from fires over Biscay in 2025

The #EUMETSAT40 competition asked users of the EUMETView satellite imagery platform to choose and submit striking images that capture powerful weather or environmental events.

Grégoire’s image of smoke over the Bay of Biscay, captured on August 15 2025, was one of the top three images that won the competition. 
The judges selected the image for its strong visual impact and the way it highlights how severe events that may seem localised can actually influence much larger areas.

The competition was organised as part of celebrations to mark EUMETSAT’s 40th anniversary.

Wildfires in Spain and Portugal

In August 2025, Spain and Portugal were struck by record-breaking wildfires that caused extensive environmental damage and significantly altered the atmospheric composition across the Iberian Peninsula.

Satellite observations from the Copernicus Sentinel-3 and Sentinel-5P missions provided clear evidence of the intensity of these fires, capturing high Fire Radiative Power (FRP) and massive plumes of smoke and trace gases.

According to the EU’s Joint Research Centre, the 2025 fire season was the worst on record for the European Union. Satellite-based analysis from the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS) - managed by the European Commission’s Joint Research Centre - shows that 1,079,538 hectares were ravaged by fire across several EU countries.